Honoring the Life of Dr. Ciro de Quadros

GlaxoSmithKline announced on May 20 that it will support developing countries that have growing economies by putting a five year freeze on vaccine prices for countries who graduate from GAVI Alliance support.

The announcement was made by Andrew Witty, the CEO of GSK, at the GAVI Alliance replenishment launch meeting in Brussels.

In launching the 12th annual Vaccination Week in the Americas, the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) is urging people to protect themselves against measles, rubella and other vaccine-preventable diseases, in view of the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Brazil and the need to protect achievements in disease elimination in the Americas.

Immunization programme managers from 46 Member States gathered in Antalya, Turkey on 18–20 March 2014 to assess the current status of vaccine-preventable diseases and set the future course for immunization in the European Region.

Since the late 1990s, doctors and public health officials have been battling the belief, fueled by a discredited study, that vaccines can cause autism. They’ve tried to present the facts about vaccine safety and highlight the risks of the diseases the shots prevent. Once parents had accurate information, they would surely choose to vaccinate, they reasoned.

Investigations into the unintended effects of vaccines tend to focus on potential adverse events, but some studies in low-income countries have shown that widespread immunization can cause unexpected positive consequences. A Danish team has now generated evidence that some of these unintended benefits are seen in wealthy countries, too.

This year, the doctors are going to provide coverage of at least 97% of a contingent with preventive vaccinations, according to the national immunization schedule. This will ensure the country's epidemiological wellbeing on infections, the spread of which can be successfully controlled through vaccination.